Wheel and overlay assembly

ABSTRACT

A wheel and overlay assembly employing an overlay configured to more fully control the aesthetic appearance of the assembly. The wheel and overlay assembly employs an overlay that more completely establishes the decorative appearance of the assembly, thereby enabling the use of a standardized wheel whose design and construction considerations are based almost solely on the structural requirements of the assembly. As such, the overlay is adapted to enable the functions of structural integrity and outward appearance of the assembly to be addressed separately, resulting in a more fully integrated appearance in which the two-component construction of the assembly is fully concealed, such that a substantial reduction in manufacturing costs is achieved due to the reduced functional demands on the wheel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No.10/237,773, filed on Sep. 9, 2002, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 09/425,474, filed Oct. 22, 1999, which is acontinuation application of Ser. No. 08/923,828, filed Sep. 4, 1997,that was a file wrapper continuation of application Ser. No. 08/631,178,filed Apr. 12, 1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to automobile wheels equippedwith decorative overlays. More specifically, this invention relates to awheel and overlay assembly, in which the overlay is configured to defineessentially the entire external appearance of the assembly, includingthe size and shape of turbine openings formed in the wheel, to theextent that a single inexpensive wheel style can be adapted to acceptmultiple overlay configurations in order to achieve widely varyingstyling effects for use on different passenger vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Decorative overlays are widely used in the automotive industry toenhance the aesthetic appearance of wheels on passenger vehicles,including unadorned steel wheels and cast aluminum wheels, the latterbeing difficult and very cost ineffective to plate with chromium.Together, a wheel and its overlay determine the wheel assembly'sstructural integrity and the aesthetic outward appearance, both of whichare necessary for successful application in the passenger vehicleindustry. Traditionally, wheel and overlay assemblies generally havedivided the functions of structural integrity and aesthetic appearance,such that each is addressed separately by either the wheel or theoverlay. The wheel contributes the structural integrity, while theoverlay covers a portion of the outboard surface of the wheel in orderto contribute to the wheel's aesthetic appearance.

By addressing each issue separately, the resulting wheel and overlayassemblies are able to achieve a significant reduction in the overallcost of the wheel, since the structural and aesthetic functions of theassembly can be addressed more effectively than would be possible if onesingle member was used to achieve both goals. To achieve this advantage,overlays of the prior art have often been attached using an in-situmolding technique. Primarily, the in-situ molding of such overlaysadhesively attaches the overlay to a wheel with a low density polymericfoaming material with inherent adhesive characteristics, as opposed tomore traditional wheel covers that require mechanical attachment devicessuch as clips, fasteners and the like. In-situ molding processes alsogenerally provide both noise reduction and an impact-resistant outercovering that protects the underlying wheel.

Examples of prior art patents directed to in-situ molding processesinclude U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,976,497 and 5,128,085 to Post et al. Themethods disclosed by Post et al. necessitate the use of a wheel asone-half of a mold into which the foaming material is injected, suchthat the entire inboard surface of the overlay contacts the outboardface of the wheel and strictly conforms to the contours and structure ofthe wheel. To reduce the weight-to-volume ratio of an overlay whoseoutboard surface does not closely conform to that of its wheel, Post etal. teaches the use of weight reducing molding inserts selectivelyplaced in those regions where the gap between the outboard surfaces ofthe overlay and wheel are greatest. Furthermore, the method of Post etal. involves the use of a lower molding part on which the wheel isplaced prior to the molding operation. The lower molding part is shownas having raised portions that extend through the turbine openings inthe wheel, such that tapered openings in the overlays are formed at theturbine openings.

Significant drawbacks exist with in-situ molding processes of the typetaught by Post et al. For example, the use of molding insertscomplicates the molding operation and contributes additional cost to themanufacture of a wheel and overlay assembly. In addition, because of thein-situ molding process, the wheel to which the overlay is to be mountedmust be transported, stored and used at the molding station, whichgreatly complicates the molding operation and the economics associatedtherewith. Furthermore, the in-situ process dictates that the inboardperipheral shapes of the tapered openings in the overlay be strictlylimited to the exact shape of the turbine openings in the wheel in orderto contain the foaming material as it is being injected into the mold.Consequently, the turbine openings of the wheel influence to asignificant degree the overall appearance of the wheel, because theshape and number of turbine openings in the wheel dictate the shape andnumber of openings of the complementary overlay when molded in-situ.

Accordingly, while the use of a wheel as a molding tool member allowsfor a customized fit of an overlay to the wheel, such molding methodssubstantially limit the ability of an overlay to be molded to havesubstantially different designs than the underlying wheel. For instance,an overlay molded in-situ cannot be formed to have its inboard surfaceaxially spaced from the outboard surface of the wheel since theinterface between the molded material and outboard surface of the wheelis relied upon to adhesively attach the overlay to the wheel. Similarly,for the same reasons, the in-situ molding process does not permit anoverlay to significantly alter the shape and number of turbine openingsin the wheel and overlay assembly, and therefore the in-situ processpresents some limitations concerning the ability of the assembly to havea configuration substantially different from that of the wheel.Particularly in the passenger vehicle industry where the appearance ofthe overlay is of extreme importance, such design limitations aresignificant drawbacks.

Consequently, use of an in-situ molding process necessarily requires theuse of a large number of wheels whose styling and construction differconsiderably in order to provide for different outward appearances.Since the cost of retooling production facilities for the wheel portionof each new wheel and overlay assembly is approximately about five toabout eight times the cost of retooling the overlay portion, retoolingonly the overlay portion for each new design rather than both theoverlay and wheel would significantly reduce the cost of producingoverlay and wheel assemblies. Furthermore, because the outwardappearance is likely to vary more often than the structuralconfiguration of the wheel, it would be desirable if the overlay couldhave a greater influence on the outward appearance of a wheel andoverlay assembly, such that a single standardized wheel design havingturbine openings of predetermined peripheral shapes or contours could beemployed to achieve widely varying styling appearances. It is well knownto a person skilled in the art that the shape of these turbine openingswill vary from vehicle to vehicle as a function of the aestheticcharacteristics intended by the stylists for any particular vehicle.

Accordingly, what is needed is a wheel and overlay assembly in which theoverlay is formed with turbine openings to have significantly differentpredetermined peripheral shapes or contours from that of the underlyingwheel. The underlying wheel's construction would take into account onlythe structural integrity necessary for its various applications. Thatis, one standardized or generic wheel design would serve a number ofdifferent vehicle applications with the ultimate objective being onestandard wheel for each standard rim size; this significantly reducesthe cost per vehicle yet provides the function of structural integrity.In particular, the overlay of such a wheel and overlay assembly would berequired to have portions that significantly alter the outboard contourfeatures as well as the shape of the turbine openings of the wheel, ifnecessary, and possibly the number of turbine openings visible on theoutboard surface of the assembly, such that the configuration of theunderlying standard wheel is substantially masked by the overlay andonly the aesthetic features of the cover are associated with thespecific model of the vehicle on which the overlay is used. In thismanner, the overlay would fully define the external appearance of thewheel and overlay assembly, rather than being limited to the outwardappearance of the underlying wheel. As such, wheel and overlayassemblies could be produced having drastically different appearances bymodifying only the overlay, rather than necessitating a completely newwheel design for each specific vehicle model.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a standardizedwheel intended to be used on a number of different vehicles and anoverlay assembly employing an overlay configured to more fully controlthe aesthetic appearance of the assembly. More particularly, thestandardized wheel and overlay assembly of this invention employs anoverlay that more completely establishes the decorative appearance ofthe assembly, thereby enabling the use of a standardized wheel whosedesign and construction considerations are based solely on thestructural requirements of the vehicle assembly. As such, the overlay isadapted to enable the functions of structural integrity and outwardappearance of the assembly to be addressed separately, resulting in awheel and overlay assembly having a more fully integrated appearance inwhich the two-component construction of the assembly is fully concealed,such that a substantial reduction in manufacturing costs is achieved dueto the reduced functional demands on the wheel.

The wheel and overlay assembly of this invention generally includes astandardized wheel with a disk circumscribed by a rim. The disk definesan outboard surface of the wheel through which openings, often termedturbine openings, are formed to assist in brake cooling while alsoreducing the weight of the wheel. The overlay of the assembly is formedentirely separately from the wheel such that, other than the diameter ofthe wheel, the configuration of the overlay is not strictly dictated bythe outboard surface of the standardized wheel. Since the overlay ismanufactured separately from the wheel, a much greater diversity in thestyling of the overlay can be achieved as compared to overlays of thetype molded in-situ on a wheel. The overlay is permanently secured tothe wheel with an adhesive, and covers the entire outboard surface ofthe wheel so as to determine the aesthetic appearance of the assemblyand serve functional requirements as necessary, i.e., turbine openingsfor brake cooling. In particular, the overlay is configured to morecompletely establish the decorative appearance of the assembly, to theextent that the wheel can have a standardized design yet can be matedwith any one of a multitude of differently-styled overlays of thisinvention to achieve a wide variety of styling effects and thereby servea wide variety of vehicle applications.

To achieve the above, overlays in accordance with this invention must becapable of being mounted to a single standardized wheel configuration,even though each overlay has a unique styling appearance thatdrastically alters its shape, both in the contours of its outboardsurface and the placement and shape of turbine openings formed thereinthat communicate with turbine openings of the wheel as necessary. In sodoing, the inboard surface of an overlay in accordance with thisinvention is generally adapted to have regions that are axially spacedapart from the outboard surface of the wheel. Furthermore, because theturbine openings in the wheel would otherwise dictate the outwardappearance of the assembly, the turbine openings of the overlay mustalso be configured to non-concur with the turbine openings of thestandardized wheel and have a different peripheral shape, andpotentially even differ in number, than the turbine openings in thewheel. For this purpose, each turbine opening of an overlay configuredin accordance with this invention is defined by a portion of the overlaythat radially extends into or through a complementary one of the wheel'sturbine openings, enabling the overlay to completely conceal theplacement, size and peripheral shape of the wheel's turbine openings andthereby provide significantly different aesthetic styling effects.

From the above, it can be seen that a significant advantage of thepresent invention is that overlays of this invention are capable of aninfinite variety of styles, yet are compatible with the use of a singlestandardized wheel design. In particular, overlays of this invention arecapable of having outboard contours that differ greatly from that of astandardized wheel, while remaining securable to the standardized wheelin a manner that completely masks the appearance of the wheel's outboardsurface. Consequently, this invention makes possible the use of a singlestandardized wheel design that is configured to optimize the structuralrequirements of the vehicle assembly, yet can be equipped with any oneof a multitude of differently-styled overlays to achieve a particularstyling effect for various vehicle applications. As such, the retoolingcosts for manufacturing a new wheel assembly are significantly reducedbecause only the overlay needs to be modified and not the underlyingstandardized wheel, thereby avoiding the requirement to extensively testa new wheel design. To fully achieve the advantages of this invention,each overlay capable of being secured to the same standardized wheel isconfigured to fully conceal the two-piece construction of the assemblyin order to enhance the perceived value of the wheel assembly.

In addition, overlays in accordance with this invention also preferablyachieve other advantages associated with wheel and overlay assemblies.For example, overlays of this invention also preferably promote noiseabatement, allow for cooling of the wheel and its brake through theturbine openings as well as selective placement of an adhesive whichattaches the overlay to the wheel, and prevent intrusion of contaminantsbetween the wheel and overlay.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anautomotive wheel and overlay assembly in which the assembly has atwo-piece construction that is concealed by an overlay formed separatelyfrom the wheel.

It is another object of the invention that the overlay be configured tobe capable of a wide variety of styles, shapes and contours, yet remaincompatible with a single standardized wheel design which is adaptable toa variety of vehicles using the same rim size.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a multitude ofdifferently-styled overlays, each of which can be secured to astandardized wheel in order to achieve a high degree of stylingflexibility for various vehicle applications with the use of a singlewheel construction.

It is a further object of the invention that each of the overlays becharacterized by portions that extend into turbine openings formed inthe standardized wheel in a manner that alters the size and shape of theopenings and thereby its styling effect, so as to promote the stylingimpact of the overlay on the overall appearance of the wheel and overlayassembly used on the vehicle.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparentafter a reading of the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the drawings provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1, shows in cross section, a rim portion of an automotive wheel towhich is attached an overlay in accordance with this invention;

FIGS. 2 through 7 represent alternative configurations for the overlayof FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the wheel and overlay which shows an embodimentin which the turbine openings in the wheel differ in number from theturbine openings in the overlay; and

FIG. 9 is a side view of the wheel and overlay which shows an embodimentin which the turbine openings of the wheel are a different peripheralshape than the turbine openings of the overlay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 7, there are shown differentembodiments of a wheel and overlay assembly 10 for use on passengervehicles in accordance with the teachings of this invention. The wheeland overlay assembly 10 has a two-piece construction, in which anoverlay 14 of the type formed separately from a standardized wheel 12 isattached to an outboard surface 16 or 16′ of the wheel 12. The wheel 12can be formed from any suitable material, such as aluminum or steel, asis conventional in the automotive industry. The overlay 14 can beconstructed of plastic, aluminum, plated steel, stainless steel orbimetal, as may be preferred or dictated by the design constraints ofthe particular application. In accordance with this invention, the wheeland overlay assemblies 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 7 share the commonfeature of the overlay 14 extending to the outer diameter regions of thewheel 12 or the wheel rim as defined by a flange lip 28 in order to morefully conceal the outboard surface 16 or 16′ of the underlyingstandardized wheel 12 and thereby maximize the aesthetic effect of theoverlay 14. However, it is foreseeable that the overlay 14 of thisinvention could be limited to cover only a portion of the outboardsurface 16 or 16′.

A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a crosssection of a rim portion of the wheel and overlay assembly 10. Theportion shown portrays the wheel 12 as including a rim 18 circumscribinga disk 20 or 20′ or spider which has been structurally optimized to beused on a plurality of different vehicles. Together, the rim 18 and disk20 or 20′ form the outboard surface 16 or 16′ of the wheel 12. As isconventional, the disk 20 includes openings (four openings 24 beingshown in FIG. 8 which for purposes of illustration, has a circular shapebut may be of any shape desired by the stylist of a vehicle wheel whilemaintaining the structural integrity thereof as is well known to aperson skilled in the art) that vent the interior of the wheel 12 andits associated brake (not shown). The rim 18 has a flange 22 generallyextending in a radially outward direction and then terminating with theflange lip 28 that extends from the flange 22 in an axial direction. Asa result, the flange lip 28 forms a radially inward surface that isroughly perpendicular to the outboard surface 16 of the wheel 12.

The overlay 14 has inboard and outboard surfaces 34 and 32,respectively, that are separated from the disk 20 or 20′ and theoutboard surface 16 or 16′. The invention contemplates that therelationship of the overlay's outboard surface 32 to the standardizedwheel disk 20 or 20′ and its associated spider is a direct function ofthe aesthetic features representative of the distinctive characteristicsof the vehicle model on which the overlay will be used. As shown, theinboard surface 34 of the overlay 14 is spaced apart from the outboardsurface 16 or 16′ of the wheel 12, such that the thickness of theoverlay 14 is substantially thinner than would be possible with anin-situ molded overlay capable of achieving a similar appearance for itsoutboard surface. In addition, the overlay 14 is shown as including anaxial portion 30 that axially extends into the opening 24 in thestandardized wheel disk 20 or 20′. The axial portion 30 of the overlay14 terminates in a lip 36 that is spaced apart from the periphery of theopening 24 in the disk 20 or 20′, such that the axial portion 30 of theoverlay 14 forms a turbine opening 38 that communicates with the opening24 in the wheel 12, and therefore serves as a passage for ventilationair flow to the interior of the wheel 12. In this manner, the overlay 14of this invention differs significantly from prior art in-situ moldedoverlays, whose turbine opening-forming portions present limitedflexibility since it is necessary to ensure that a completely enclosedmold cavity for the overlay is formed because of the in-situ moldingprocess. Further, since the adhesive is contained within the foamingmaterial used to mold the overlay, considerations must be made to ensurethat the foaming material and outboard surface of the wheel have asignificant interface in order to adhesively attach the overlay to thewheel. This specific feature allows the designer to establish uniqueturbine openings characteristic for the specific vehicle rather than beconstricted by the specific turbine opening in the spider or disk 20 or20′ of the standardized wheel.

According to this invention, the number, shape and location of theturbine openings 38 in the overlay 14 can be chosen in light of theaesthetic characteristics desired for the wheel and overlay assembly 10used on a specific vehicle. More specifically, the lip 36 of the axialportion 30 need not conform to the opening 24 in the disk 20 or 20′, butinstead can be spaced away from the opening 24 in both the axial andradial direction of the wheel 12. This aspect substantially increasesthe variability of the overlay 14 relative to what was possible within-situ molding. For example, turbine openings of an overlay moldedin-situ have certain limitations due to the size and shape of theopenings 24 in the wheel because the wheel 42 forms part of the mold inwhich the overlay is formed, and therefore the foaming material must beprevented from escaping from the mold as it is being injected. Incontrast, the overlay 14 of this design is not molded in-situ, and usesthe axial portion 30 to determine the appearance of the turbine opening38, including its shape, size and, under appropriate circumstances,location. With this approach, it is foreseeable that the number ofturbine openings 38 can exceed the number of openings 24 in the wheel 12if the openings 24 are adequately sized to accommodate more than oneaxial portion 30 of the overlay 14.

Not only does the overlay 14 of this invention achieve greater designflexibility with respect to the turbine openings 38, but the inboardsurface 34 of the overlay 14 may also be spaced a significant distanceaway from the outboard surface 16 of the wheel 12 in a manner notpossible with overlays produced by the in-situ molding process withoutthe use of considerably greater amounts of material to form the overlay.As illustrated in FIG. 1, a void existing between the overlay 14 and theoutboard surface 16 of the wheel 12 is substantially filled with anadhesive or foam filler 26, including foaming adhesives known in theart. Filling of this void between the overlay 14 and wheel 12 isdesirable because it promotes the ability of the overlay 14 to abatenoise produced by the wheel 12 and its associated brake as well asprevent water or mud entrapment areas. A foaming adhesive serves to fillthis void while also securely attaching the overlay 14 to the wheel 12,regardless of how far the overlay 14 is spaced from the outboard surface16 of the wheel 12, or the degree to which the inboard surface 34 of theoverlay 14 is contoured, including the axial portion 30 of the overlay14. As such, FIG. 1 shows the axial portion 30 as being securelyattached to the wheel 12 by a full face adhesive, even though spacedapart from the opening 24, such that water and other debris areprevented from becoming trapped between the overlay 14 and wheel 12. Theinvention further contemplates selective application of an adhesive toprovide cooling and/or heat insulating portions which can effectively beused to contribute to the curing of the adhesive during themanufacturing cycle or to provide an air flow to carry away heatgenerated by the application of the brakes.

From the above, it can be seen that the overlay 14 of this invention iscapable of an infinite variety of styles, based on the outwardappearance of the overlay 14, yet will remain compatible with the wheel12 as long as the peripheral areas of the overlay 14 and wheel 12adequately match and the axial portions 30 of the overlay 14 areappropriately received within the openings 24 of the disk 20 or 20′. Theoutboard surface 32 of the overlay 14 may have contours that differgreatly from that of the wheel 12, while remaining securable to thewheel 12 in a manner that completely masks the appearance of the wheel'soutboard surface 16. Consequently, the overlay 14 allows the use of asingle standardized design for the wheel 12, such that the wheel 12 canbe designed to more fully optimize the structural requirements of theassembly 10 as well as to adapt it for use on several differentvehicles. Moreover, the standardized wheel 12 can be equipped with anyone of a multitude of differently-styled overlays 14 to achieve aparticular styling effect and allow the standardized wheel to be used ona variety of vehicle body styles. As such, the retooling costs formanufacturing a new wheel and overlay assembly 10 of this invention aresignificantly reduced because only the overlay 14 needs to be modifiedto achieve a new styling effect for the particular application of thewheel and overlay assembly 10.

In a second embodiment, FIG. 2 shows a similar overlay 14 as representedin FIG. 1, but with a substantial portion of the overlay 14 abutting theoutboard surface 16 of the standardized wheel 12. FIG. 2 also shows thelip 36 of the axial portion 30 extending substantially further throughthe opening 24 in the disk 20. In contrast with the embodiment of FIG.1, substantially less adhesive 26 is required to attach the overlay 14to the wheel 12.

A third embodiment of this invention is represented by FIG. 3, whichshows the overlay 14 as including a rib or support member 40 thatsupports the overlay 14 in the vicinity of the opening 24 in the disk20′. FIG. 3 also shows the limited use of adhesive 26 around the rib 40,and therefore uniquely allows for support of the overlay 14 whilesubstantially reducing the amount of adhesive 26 required to bond theoverlay 14 to the wheel 12. Therefore, rather than filling the voidbetween the wheel 12 and the overlay 14 with filler material oradhesive, the void is sealed to avoid water or mud entrapment and theassociated balancing problem. The axial placement of the overlay 14relative to the outboard surface 16′ of the wheel 12 is determined byone or more ribs.

FIG. 4 illustrates the use of a greater amount of adhesive 26 in amanner that prevents the entrapment of water and debris between theoverlay 14 and wheel 12 in the vicinity of the turbine opening 38. Theadhesive fills the area bounded by the inboard surface 34 of theoverlay, the radially inward surface of the rib 40, and the outboardsurface 16′ of the wheel 12.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment capable of excluding water anddebris from between the overlay 14 and wheel 12 without relying onadditional adhesive or filler material. In particular, the overlay 14 isshown as including an integrally-formed gas-assist molded hollow member42 that provides support to a degree not possible with the rig 40 ofFIGS. 3 and 4. In some applications, the use of the molded hollow member42 may be desirable, particularly if a reduced amount of adhesive orfiller is necessary or if application of the filler or adhesive isdifficult. As shown in FIG. 5, the molded hollow member 42 is configuredto include a portion that extends into the opening 24 in the disk 20′and abuts the outboard surface 16′ of the wheel 12 surrounding theopening 24, such that the overlay 14 is located and stabilized relativeto the wheel 12 in both the axial and radial directions. Because theoverlay 14 of this invention is formed separately from the wheel 12, themolded hollow member 42 is advantageously able to radially locate theoverlay 14 relative to the wheel 12 during assembly.

Finally, in two additional embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, aseparate member is sandwiched between the overlay 14 and the outboardsurface 16 of the wheel 12 to fill the gap between the axial portion 30of the overlay 14 and the opening 24 in the disk 20′. In FIG. 6, theoverlay 14 is shown as including a separately-formed blow-molded member44 that substantially fills the void between the overlay 14 and wheel12, thereby minimizing the amount of adhesive and/or filler 26 requiredto secure the overlay 14 to the wheel 12 when the overlay 14 axiallyspaced apart from the outboard surface 16′ of the wheel 12. Similarly,FIG. 7 illustrates the use of a separately-formed foamed member 46between the overlay 14 and wheel 12. As with the embodiment of FIG. 5,the members 44 and 46 are each shown to include a portion extending intothe opening 24 in the disk 20′ and in FIG. 7, directly abutting theoutboard surface 16′ of the wheel surrounding the opening 24, while inFIG. 6 indirectly abutting through the adhesive and/or filler 26, suchthat the overlay 14 is stabilized relative to the wheel 12 in both theaxial and radial directions. In addition, the members 44 and 46 are alsoshown as being sized and contoured to radially locate the overlay 14relative to the wheel 12 during assembly.

In view of the above, it can be seen that the present invention providesa novel wheel and overlay assembly 10 that enables the use of astandardized wheel design to achieve an essentially infinite number ofstyling configurations through the use of an overlay 14 that more fullydetermines the outward appearance of the wheel and overlay assembly 10,such that a noticeable enhancement can be achieved in the overlay'sdecorative effect. Simultaneously, the cost of the wheel production issubstantially reduced since the invention provides for a multitude ofdifferently-styled overlays to be securely attached to the samestandardized wheel design which may be used for a variety of vehicleapplications. To achieve this flexibility in design of the overlay 14,the embodiments of the invention illustrate the overlay 14 as includingaxial portions 30 that determine the shape or number of the turbineopenings 38 in the wheel and overlay assembly 10, while also enablingthe overlay 14 to be spaced apart from the outboard surface 16 or 16′ ofthe wheel 12 in order to provide visible surface contours that differfrom those present on the wheel 12. Consequently, the role of the wheel12 in the wheel and overlay assembly 10 is almost completely focused onthe structural requirements of the wheel and overlay assembly 10, whilethe overlay 14 substantially masks the appearance of the wheel 12 inorder to maximize the aesthetic effect of the standardized wheel andoverlay assembly 10. The result is a standardized wheel and overlayassembly 10 whose appearance is dominated by the overlay 14 and whosetwo-piece construction is more fully concealed. As such, the perceivedvalue of the wheel and overlay assembly 10 is greatly enhanced.

Another significant advantage is that the wheel and overlay assembly 10utilizes an overlay 14 of the type formed separately from the wheel 12to which it is mounted, such that manufacturing and assembly arefacilitated. In particular, the overlay 14 is preferably a solid panelmember that can be bonded to the outboard surface 16 or 16′ of analuminum or steel wheel 12 with a suitable adhesive or filler material.Any void between the inboard surface 34 of the overlay 14 and theoutboard surface 16 of the wheel 12 can be completely or partiallyfilled with an adhesive, filler, integrally-formed feature of theoverlay 14, or separately-formed member.

While the invention has been described in terms of preferredembodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by oneskilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to belimited only by the following claims.

1. A wheel and overlay assembly comprising: a wheel having astandardized disk and a rim circumscribing said standardized disk, saidstandardized disk having an outboard surface and a flange at an outerperipheral region thereof; a custom designed overlay covering at least aportion of said outboard surface and said flange, said overlay having aninboard surface facing said outboard surface of said wheel, at least aportion of said inboard surface being spaced apart from said outboardsurface of said standardized disk, said customized contours adapted toprovide a predetermined aesthetic characteristic on a particularvehicle; and means associated with said overlay for attaching saidoverlay to said wheel.
 2. The wheel and overlay assembly as claimed inclaim 1 wherein said outboard surface of said standardized disk furthercomprises: a plurality of turbine openings, each of said plurality ofturbine openings having a peripheral shape; and wherein said customdesigned overlay further comprises: a plurality of openings formedtherein, at least one of said plurality of openings being complementaryto one of said plurality of turbine openings in said wheel so as tocommunicate with said one of said plurality of turbine openings and soas to provide ventilation to said wheel through said overlay, each ofsaid plurality of openings in said overlay being defined by a portion ofsaid overlay extending radially into a complementary one of saidplurality of turbine openings so as to conceal said peripheral shape ofsaid complementary one of said plurality of turbine openings.
 3. A wheeland overlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said overlay is oneof a plurality of different overlays configured to be attached to saidwheel.
 4. A wheel and overlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 whereinsaid plurality of openings in said overlay differ in number from saidplurality of turbine openings in said standardized disk.
 5. A wheel andoverlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said attaching meanscomprises an adhesive disposed between said inboard surface of saidoverlay and said outboard surface of said standardized disk.
 6. A wheeland overlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a foamfiller disposed between said overlay and said wheel.
 7. A wheel andoverlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a memberintegrally formed with said overlay, said member having a portionabutting at least one of said plurality of turbine openings such thatsaid overlay is stabilized relative to said wheel in both axial andradial directions of said wheel.
 8. A wheel and overlay assembly asclaimed in claim 7 wherein said member extends into said at least one ofsaid plurality of turbine openings so as to radially locate said overlayrelative to said wheel.
 9. A wheel and overlay assembly as claimed inclaim 2 further comprising a member separately formed from said overlayand disposed between said overlay and said standardized disk, saidmember having a portion abutting at least one of said plurality ofturbine openings such that said overlay is stabilized relative to saidwheel in both axial and radial directions of said wheel.
 10. A wheel andoverlay assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein said member extends intosaid at least one of said plurality of turbine openings so as toradially locate said overlay relative to said wheel.
 11. A wheel andoverlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a plurality ofintegrally-molded ribs extending from said inboard surface of saidoverlay in an axial direction, said plurality of integrally-molded ribsabutting said outboard surface of said standardized disk so as to spacesaid inboard surface of said overlay apart from said standardized disk.12. A wheel and overlay assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidoverlay is formed from a material chosen from the group consisting ofplastic, aluminum, plated steel, stainless steel and bimetals.
 13. Amethod of manufacturing a wheel and overlay assembly comprising thesteps of: providing a wheel having a disk and a rim circumscribing saiddisk, said disk having an outboard surface and a plurality of turbineopenings therein, each of said plurality of turbine openings having aperipheral shape; forming an overlay separately from said wheel, saidoverlay having an inboard surface and a plurality of openingstherethrough, each of said plurality of openings being defined by aradially-extending portion of said overlay; and attaching said overlayto said wheel such that said overlay covers at least a portion of saidoutboard surface and said rim, said inboard surface faces said outboardsurface of said disk, at least a portion of said inboard surface isspaced apart from said outboard surface of said wheel, and at least oneof said plurality of openings is complementary to one of said pluralityof turbine openings in said wheel so as to communicate with said one ofsaid plurality of turbine openings and so as to provide ventilation tosaid wheel through said overlay, said radially-extending portionprojecting through said one of said plurality of turbine openings so asto conceal said peripheral shape of said one of said plurality ofturbine openings.
 14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein saidforming step includes forming a plurality of overlays, said plurality ofoverlays being configured differently yet adapted to be attached to saidwheel.
 15. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said attaching stepcomprises placing an adhesive between said inboard surface of saidoverlay and said outboard surface of said disk.
 16. A method as claimedin claim 13 further comprising the step of inserting a foam fillerbetween said overlay and said wheel.
 17. A method as claimed in claim 13wherein said step of forming said overlay further comprises integrallyforming a hollow member with said overlay such that said hollow memberabuts said wheel and extends into at least one of said plurality ofturbine openings in said wheel during said attaching step so as toradially locate said overlay relative to said wheel.
 18. A method asclaimed in claim 13 further comprising the step of inserting aseparately-molded member between said overlay and said wheel prior tosaid attaching step, such that said separately-molded member extendsinto at least one of said plurality of turbine openings in said wheelduring said attaching step so as to radially locate said overlayrelative to said wheel.
 19. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein saidstep of forming said overlay further comprises integrally forming aplurality of ribs extending from said inboard surface of said overlay inan axial direction, said plurality of ribs being abutted against saidoutboard surface during said attaching step so as to space said inboardsurface of said overlay apart from said outboard surface of said disk.20. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising the step ofinserting a filler material between said radially-extending portion ofsaid overlay and said one of said plurality of turbine openings.
 21. Awheel and overlay assembly manufactured in accordance with the method ofclaim 13.